|
Jean Teule
Gallic Books
14 February 2011/ ISBN 9781906040307
Historical/Literary / 1663 onwards / Paris and environs, France
Amazon
US
|| UK
Reviewed
by Rachel A Hyde
The Marquis de Montespan was considered a most unusual man. He was
married to the beautiful Athenais who was coveted as a mistress
by none other than the Sun King, Louis XIV himself. This meant that
he would be showered with expensive gifts and become rich and feted,
but as the horns on the cover indicate he merely saw himself as
a cuckold. In love with his wife, all the hapless marquis wants
is his wife back and revenge on the man who has taken her. But what
Louis wants, Louis gets and nobody will stand in his way…
I’m always complaining that not enough novels are set during
the fascinating 17th century, and here is a good example. If you
think that this was a boring century then reading this will help
put the record straight, for Ms Teule is adept at showing it - warts
and all - often shocking and disgusting but never boring. The past
truly is a different country in here, a time where people filled
their own teeth (with butter of all things), fought duels and died,
were received by their king whilst he sat on his chamber pot and
were supposed to be pleased when he wanted to bed their wives. The
court of Louis XIV is usually depicted as glittering and glamorous,
but here it is shown as being anything but that. Maybe at times
this anti-glamour is laid on a bit too thick, but there is plenty
of nightmarish humor in here and nothing whatsoever of the school
history lesson. If you like your history robust and bawdy you will
enjoy this rollercoaster of a ride through the Sun King’s
Paris.
|
